


O is for Obnoxious

by Psychodelikas



Series: The Alphabet of Dreams [16]
Category: Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: But he may be in way over his head, Especially for Jared, F/F, F/M, Obviously he doesn't mind, Quite literally!, Sarah is a life saver, Shit just got serious!, for once
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-15
Updated: 2018-01-15
Packaged: 2019-03-05 07:58:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13383531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Psychodelikas/pseuds/Psychodelikas
Summary: “Please, tell me he’s going somewhere really, really dangerous,” I pleaded.Sarah laughed. “As a matter of fact, yes,” she said. “Well, extremely dangerous for his ego, in any case.”“Best news I’ve had all day!”





	O is for Obnoxious

I stormed inside then instantly up the stairs towards that infernal library. In the state I was, I didn’t care one iota that there were people in front of me. I just shoved everyone rather rudely out of my way and carried on. I was well-aware that I pushing supernatural creatures and therefore, putting myself in danger but my need for blood was much more important.

Normally, I had to touch the runes on the carved door frame. The entire castle sensed my thirst for death and the door opened for me. I ran up the winding stairs. The library entrance offered me clear access inside and I couldn’t be happier.

The moment I saw that son of a bitch spread out on the carpet _exactly_ like he had been in my dream, I almost lost it.

“Now before you murder me,” Jared said a bit too casually at the sight of me, “I strongly suggest you hear me out.”

It was all I could do not to tear him to shreds. “Hear…hear you out?” I repeated in a low voice as I advanced to him. “Hear you out? Jared, the only thing I want to hear right now is the sound of you dying in agony!”

“Perfectly understandable,” he replied then smiled. “But you _will_ want to hear what I have to say.” And just like that, he patted the spot directly in front of him, motioning that I sit down.

_Either he is the stupidest, or smartest man alive but I think it’s the latter ‘cause I can’t believe I’m actually listening to him…_

But no way in hell I wanted to be _that_ close to him so I sat down opposite him. And as close to the edge of the small floor compartment as possible.

Jared grinned at my reaction. “I suppose that you’ve figured out by now that I’m not exactly like everyone else,” he began. I fought with myself not to strangle him until his eyes popped out of his skull. His grin widened. “I am more than pleased to inform you that my uniqueness does not stop at my eyes. You see, I am physically different from any man you’ve ever known.”

Those were the only words he could have ever uttered which made me temporarily forget about my anger. “What do you mean?” I asked.

“I mean,” he said softly as he switched to a sitting position, “that I have certain abilities which are considerably superior to anyone’s.”

“Such as?” I demanded mockingly.

“Such as, superior strength and speed plus a considerable life expectancy.” He smiled wickedly. “But most importantly, superior intelligence and stamina. However, most of the people I come into contact with cannot handle something like this. Naturally, there are a few exceptions but those are rare.” He looked at me seriously. “If anything meaningful were to truly happen between us, I had to make sure you wouldn’t come out of it scarred in any way.”

To my ever growing astonishment, I felt myself relax and my anger vanishing into thin air. I smiled widely. “So you were doing me a favor,” I summarized, “by allowing me to see what could happen so that I would know what to expect.”

“Exactly,” the silly owner replied pleased. “As always, Valaria, you are most perceptive.”

“Thank you,” I said sweetly. “But I think it’s time I returned the favor.”

Jared’s cocky attitude grew cautious. “What?”

My smile widened. “You keep telling me that the castle thinks on its own and decides what’s best for everyone. That includes _you.”_

For the first time since I had met him, I saw _fear_ flash through his mismatched eyes. “Valaria,” he tried to say.

I rose to my feet. The air temperature dropped a few degrees and the wind’s speed picked up. “Jared Korrick, you have abused your status as owner for the last freakin’ time,” I told him in a voice which left no room for argument. “As such, I sentence you to re-examine yourself and never return until you’ve seen the error of your ways.”

I had expected Jared to scream at me or do something at the very least. It had never crossed my mind that he would be _delighted_ by my words.

His half smirking face was the last thing I saw as a strong gush of wind made pale colored fabric strips appear out of nowhere. They quickly engulfed Jared, the castle experiencing a tremor as they did so. The strips melted to the floor. Rather, _into_ the floor was more accurate, Jared along with them. The stone building stopped shaking.

I blinked at the now vacant spot several times. I slowly approached it, almost scared that if I stepped in the wrong place, I would fall down a trap door. _I should stop reading Zane’s stories with such interest._ Nevertheless, I inspected every inch of the rug and even pillows to convince myself.

Jared Korrick had vanished. Better still, _I_ had made him vanish. I smiled like a maniac at that thought. In exceptionally high spirits, I left the library like I owned the entire castle.

However, once I saw myself in the reception hall, I was met with complete and utter silence. Each and every single resident was staring at me with shock, fear and even reverence or awe.

I felt very uncomfortable but thankfully, I saw a familiar face. I waved at Timotheus who was behind the reception desk but the dwarf only shook his head. I frowned confused. He pointed somewhere behind me. I looked in that direction and saw the terrace entrance. I looked back at Timo and awkwardly nodded my understanding of his gesture.

I took two steps in the glass doors’ direction before the continued silence and staring got to me. “As you were,” I told everyone mockingly.

As if someone had pressed an invisible button, the supernaturals _resumed_ their business. The usual chatter and noises filled the room as men, women and children went about the place. I was glued to my spot for a moment then straightened my back and determinedly headed for the terrace. I didn’t see anyone I recognized so I widened my search to the near-by garden.

It was there that I found Sarah and James seated on one of the large benches and comforting a sick-looking Zanthe. The ashen girl was hugging the energivore tightly, her face staring at the ground. I stopped dead in my tracks as fear slowly settled in. In my anger, I had completely forgotten about my poor best friend’s motion sickness. It wasn’t one’s regular car sickness. Zane felt ill even in a taxi if the driver was an adept of the driving fast over short distances then slowing down abruptly method. A boat ride was completely out of the question, as I had learned the hard way.

As I got closer, I noticed that Zane was shaking. I also noticed how the energivore’s hands were glowing which probably meant the man was using his powers in order to calm down the poor girl.

I swallowed hard and bravely faced my destiny.

Sarah was the first to hear me approaching. When she saw me, relief colored her face. “Oh, Vala! Thank God!” she exclaimed as she threw her arms around me.

“Good to see you too?” I said awkwardly.

“I feared the worst when I saw how bad Zane was,” she explained as she examined my face, “not to mention how we found your car!” She squeezed me by the arms as she looked right into my eyes. “But you’re okay, right?”

Her words finally made my best friend look up. Her face switched from evident effort put into suppressing her need to vomit her stomach out to the purest anger and hatred in human history. I was scared to death despite the fact that poor Zane was still shaking from head to toe.

“Um, I think that’s enough excitement for one day,” James tried to say politely. “Zanthe and I will be all right, on our own.” He looked right at Sarah as he spoke next. “I really think you should make sure Vala is okay by taking her to the hospital wing.” _God bless his soul!_

At first, Sarah was confused. Then the hidden message got through to her at the look on Zane’s face. “You are absolutely right, James,” she said shortly. “This way, Vala.”

I clearly heard Renfield’s voice in my head saying, “Yes, master.”

Sarah took me to Jared’s study. She personally made sure the door was closed then sat herself in one of the armchairs facing the desks.

I looked at her quizzically as I sat down on the other one.

She smiled widely. “It wouldn’t be right for me to sit on that chair,” she explained as she pointed to the one behind the desk. “Especially when the rightful owner is in the same room with me.”

I opened my mouth to say something but nothing came out. “What?” I asked after a short moment of silence.

Her smile widened. “We all felt the change, Vala,” she said. “I don’t know how you did it but the castle did something no-one ever thought possible.”

“Which was…?” I asked.

“Give Jared a taste of his own medicine.”

I stared at her open-mouthed. “How the hell could you possibly know that?”

“You have to remember, Vala, I am his business partner. There’s not one thing about this place that I don’t know about. I might not have been here when the castle was built but I know exactly how it works.”

“Then please explain to me, wise one,” I said half mockingly. “If you know so much about how things work around here, how come it’s such a surprise to you that the castle did something to Jared?”

Sarah analyzed me carefully. I felt a bit uncomfortable under her green stare but held my ground. She slowly smiled like a person who received confirmation for something they had suspected for some time. “He hasn’t told you,” she stated. She smiled like a child. “Oh, how I wanna tell you! I could, you know. I could tell you _exactly_ why this happened.” She grinned wickedly. “But why deny Jared the honor?”

I pursed my lips annoyed at her. “Seriously, Sarah?” 

She laughed. “You have to understand, Vala. I’ve been _praying_ for this day to come. You are so lucky to not know how cocky and arrogant Jared can be, especially when it comes to his beloved castle. But I warned him!” she specified triumphantly. “I warned him that sooner or later, someone would come and change everything. I can’t tell you how happy I am that I’m here to witness things as they’re happening!”

My jaw dropped all the way to the Earth’s core. I couldn’t believe how absolutely ecstatic Sarah was at what I had done. Then the reality of my situation sank in. I had apparently sent Jared somewhere but I had no idea if he was okay or not. I wanted to punish him, there was no doubt about that. But I didn’t want to hurt him.

My worry must have been written all over my face because Sarah dropped her glee. “Hey, it’s okay,” she said reassuringly.

“Okay?” I repeated stunned. “How can you say that? I don’t even know where Jared is right now!”

“Then why didn’t you say so in the first place?” she exclaimed as she got up. I stared at her blankly as she headed for the exit. I followed after her without a word of protest.

As we made our way up, several people smiled politely at me while some even bowed shortly before me. I wanted to ask Sarah if they had all lost their minds but she just smiled and shook her head at me.

Once we were back in the library, Sarah knelt beside the rug. She slipped her hands under it then removed it with one swift move.

I felt my jaw drop again at what lay hidden under it. A circular glass depicting an idle, ghost-white mist greeted my hungry eyes. “What is it?” I whispered.

“A mirror,” Sarah answered simply. “It will show you everything that you desire.”

I closed my mouth and looked at her with a flat expression.

She laughed. “I know, I know,” she said half apologetically. “But it does more than that.”

I waited her answer.

She gestured that I use the mirror and find out for myself.

I sighed heavily but focused on the smooth surface. I had barely formed my plea in my head when the magic began. The mist began to swirl then seconds later, a clear image was formed. I saw Jared in a dark and damp corridor, lying unconscious on the floor. There was only one torch burning a short distance above him.

I gasped softly at the sight of him but quickly covered my mouth.

At that precise moment, Jared stirred then groaned softly as he regained consciousness. He raised himself with slow, precise movements, his ruby and gold eyes analyzing his new environment carefully. A grin lifted the corners of his lips as he recognized where he was.

“This should be interesting,” Jared said to himself as he started walking down the corridor.

And just like that, all of my care and concern for him vanished. “Please, tell me he’s going somewhere really, really dangerous,” I pleaded.

Sarah laughed. “As a matter of fact, yes,” she said. “Well, extremely dangerous for his ego, in any case.”

“Best news I’ve had all day!”

Glee filled her once again but I could not quite look away from the mirror. Jared was approaching the end of the line for we could clearly see the sun’s light slowly brightening the dark headway. When he finally exited the passageway, my brain experienced a heart attack.

It was the Goblin Kingdom! It was the exact same place Zane oh, so lovingly referred to as Erotic Never Land. I wanted to protest, to explicitly express how utterly disappointed I was that I had sent Jared back home but I didn’t get the chance.

“Well, well, well,” he exclaimed softly as he regarded the labyrinth before him. “Of all the possible forms of punishment, this is the easiest one I’ve ever been given.”

I saw red before my eyes. Without thinking, I dived into the mirror.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so very much for still being here!
> 
> I hope the story's progression is exciting enough and fret not! There are more hot moments in store for Vala. ;)


End file.
